Whether you pulled a blunder with the clothes dryer or the shirt was never big enough in the first place, there are ways to stretch a cotton t-shirt to the size you want it (within reason, of course). Cotton does have some give, especially when wet, so before you throw it out in frustration, try out a few of the ideas below.

Steps

Method1

Conditioner Stretch

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Get the entire t-shirt wet in a bowl warm water. You can do this by soaking it in the sink or in a large bowl. Make sure to use cool water and saturate every area of the t-shirt that you want stretched. The level of the water should well cover the t-shirt

Be sure to use cool water. If you use hot or cold water, the fibers won't be prone to stretching. They tend to loosen up more with warm water.[1]

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

2

Add 1/4 cup of hair conditioner the water. Once added, mix it up with your hand to make sure the conditioner doesn't stay in globs and fully dissolves into the water. The hair conditioner will soften the fibers, making them easier to stretch.

Keep the t-shirt flat and submerged for 10-15 minutes. It's easiest to put the t-shirt on top of the bowl or sink and then gently press it into the water, making sure the conditioned water gets into every fiber of the t-shirt. If it's wadded up, areas of the shirt will shrink differently.

Hold it flat toward the bottom of the bowl, keeping it from gathering, for a minute or two to ensure every fiber gets infused with the conditioned water. The more it gets saturated, the more it will stay on the bottom of the bowl on its own. Leave it there for 10-15 minutes.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Rinse the shirt. Take the shirt out of the bowl, dump the water out, and refill it with clean, cool water (or just use a different bowl). In much the same way as you would rinse your hair after using conditioner, you've got to rinse the shirt, too, otherwise it will be covered in a sticky residue.

Take your time. Spend 5 minutes or so rinsing the shirt, again making sure the clean water penetrates every fiber.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Find a flat place to lay out the shirt. An area such as the top of your dryer, a granite counter, or the top of a freezer works well. Lay down some towels first to protect the shirt (and the surface, if you don't want it wet).

Squeeze the water out of the shirt to keep it from dripping everywhere and to speed up the drying process.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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If there is a graphic on your tee that you don't want to stretch, iron it now. Stretching a t-shirt can distort the image on it. However, if you dry the picture first, it won't stretch as much as the bottom and sides of your shirt (the areas you want stretched) because they're still wet.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

7

Place your forearms inside the part of the shirt that you want to stretch. If you want it wider, stretch the shirt outwards making sure not to put too much pressure in one spot. This can leave a strange "dent" sticking out in one place on the shirt. If you find that your arms are not strong enough to get the right amount of stretch, try using your legs, a sturdy pole of some sort, or getting someone with more arm strength to help you.

If you just want it longer, stretch from the neck and the bottom, pulling it longer in opposite directions. Work from left to right, making sure all sides of the t-shirt are equally stretched.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Spread the stretched shirt out on a towel to dry. If you're worried about it shrinking, place weights on the edges. If you're looking for a larger bust or stomach, you can place objects within the t-shirt to stretch those areas out even more.

The shirt will retain its shape until it is washed and dried again. If you want to keep it at its new size, make sure not to put it back in the dryer.

Method2

Iron Stretch

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Wet the entire t-shirt in cool water. In a similar fashion as the method above, wet your entire t-shirt, making sure every fiber is soaked. Hold it flat towards the bottom of a bowl or a sink to ensure it's evenly wet.

No need to soak the t-shirt; simply drench it in cool water. Once you're convinced it couldn't be wetter, you're ready to move onto the next step.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Lay it on a flat area for ironing. Wring it out a bit to get rid of excess water to prevent dripping and soaking your surface or ironing board. Make sure whatever you're ironing on can handle heat. An ironing board is best, but you could also use the counter top or floor if you're careful.

If you'd like, give it a few tugs now to get the stretching process started. You'd be surprised just how much you can do with just your bare hands.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

3

With your iron on medium-low, start going over the t-shirt using pressure. With the iron in one hand and the shirt in another, start pulling and pressing the shirt out with the iron. Don't just go over the shirt, use the iron as a means of force, the t-shirt stretching as the iron passes over it, forcing it outward.

Make sure to go in every direction – pulling up, down, and to the sides. Flip the shirt over when you're done and begin on the back, too.

This method isn't great for significant stretching; it's best used if you just need the shirt to fit a little better or be a little longer.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Leave it to dry. Make sure it's flat and give it a final tug one last time. Spread it out, and place weights around the edges if you'd like. This just makes sure it stays at the size it is now, just how you like it.

To make sure it stays at this size, avoid drying it. From now on, this shirt should be air-dried. You may occasionally have to stretch it out again, but avoiding drying will keep it larger.

Method3

Shower Stretch

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Wear the t-shirt in the shower. Clothes stretch more when they're wet. So, the next time you're in the shower (a hot shower is best), wear your shirt. Tug on it in all the areas you want stretched. Talk about a productive shower!

This sounds a little silly, but think about it: if you stretch it out as you're wearing it, you'll be able to stretch it in the areas you actually want it stretched, into just stretching it all over. So if you need a shirt that's only longer or only bigger in the bust, say, this is a decent idea.

Method4

Tug Stretch

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Tug on the t-shirt often. Cotton shirts are pretty malleable. If you tug and tug on it, the t-shirt will eventually stretch. If you wear it all the time, constantly pulling on it will stretch it out bit by bit. Just make sure not to overdo the stretching, as it will eventually look obviously out of shape.

Method5

Weight Stretch

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Use weights to manipulate the t-shirt's size. If you've used one of the above methods, you may want to use weights on the t-shirt to keep it stretched out for a final certain measure. On the edges of the shirt, place mugs, books, or bags of rice, keeping the t-shirt in it's stretched-out position.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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You can also place items inside the shirt. Need it stretched out for your chest? Place a couple of baseballs inside, stretching out that area. Need wider arms? Place a cylinder or small bowl in the sleeves.

Method6

Body Stretch

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Have a larger friend wear the t-shirt. Here's the kicker: a friend who is too close to your size won't adequately stretch the t-shirt; a friend who's too big either won't be able to put it on or will stretch it out too much. But if you have a friend who's in that Goldilocks zone (just right), ask them for the simplest favor they could ever give you. All they have to do is wear your shirt for an hour or two; or just sleep in it.

Method7

Chair Stretch

This method works well for small or fitted T-shirts.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Get the entire T-shirt wet. Either use the washing machine or dunk it into a tub of water.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Pull the wrung but wet shirt over the back of a dining chair. Or, choose another appropriately-sized chair that won't be damaged by the water.

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to Stretch a Cotton T Shirt

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Allow the shirt to dry. As it dries, the shape of the chair will stretch the t-shirt nicely for you.

How long do I need to keep the shirt on the chair while using the "chair stretch" method?

wikiHow Contributor

Leave the shirt on the chair for however long it takes for the it to dry. If you're worried that the shirt is becoming too distorted, pull it off while it's still somewhat damp, and lay it flat to dry.

This requires a special pump sold in fabric/haberdashery stores. Ask for the "Bump-pump" brand - it's the best. It's designed to adjust clothes to fit women when they are pregnant and as their bump grows, but there's no reason you can't use it to stretch other parts of clothing, too.

If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know.

Tips

Stretching works best on 100% cotton shirts. If the shirt contains other fibers such as polyester, it will be stiffer and much harder to stretch.

If you truly like a shirt and want to keep wearing it, you can continue to stretch it regularly. Just remember that the dryer will reverse all of your work if you ever use it on the shirt again.

You can also stretch the arms or neck hole on a shirt in this same way. The neck tends to stretch a little easier, so be careful not to stretch too far on your first try.

Bear in mind that stretching a shirt side to side will oft times made the length shorter, so if you want to retain the length as well, stretch by pulling it by shoulder seam and hem, all around. Lay flat to dry making sure the shirt is evenly portioned all around.

This tip can also be used on sweaters and other stretchable garments, but stretch with caution on these items - they are more delicate than t-Shirts.

"We had to pick jerseys from last year's team for soccer, and a lot of people hadn't turned theirs in over the years, so they didn't have my size. I had to get a size smaller than what I got the years before in middle school, and I hoped I would be able to stretch it out. I definitely was able to. These methods don't only work on cotton, and I'm extremely grateful for that!"..." more

DR

Deminica R.

Jul 4, 2016

"I used the chair and conditioner method together. It worked great! The shirt that I stretched was two sizes too small for me and now it's a bit oversized. I highly recommend these techniques, and I praise this article."..." more

RW

Rhyann Wilson

Jul 21, 2016

"I was able to use these methods on a jersey that wasn't completely cotton, and actually that was really thick as well. I wasn't sure any of this would work since my shirt wasn't all cotton, but I'm happy it did."..." more

ML

Marisol Lopez

Apr 4, 2016

"Follow the steps and everything will go just fine. I tried every single step and they worked for me, so they should work for others too. Good luck. "..." more